Holiday Auction Closing December 3
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/4/2016
Offered here is a 23x23 inch LeRoy Neiman print of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali from 1971. Perhaps one of the only sporting events to live up to its billing, “The Fight of the Century” between Ali and Frazier was held at Madison Square Garden on March 8th, 1971. The bout, the first time two undefeated contestants vied for the heavyweight title, was fraught with pre-match racial tension. Ali repeatedly accused Frazier of being an Uncle Tom who was only supported by white fans, while Ali represented black America. The fight went a full 15 rounds, with a battered Frazier unanimously declared the winner. However, Ali would go on to win the final two fights between these heavyweight titans.
After his boxing career Ali became one of America’s greatest activists and philanthropists even as he battled his eventual fatal Parkinson’s Disease. Ali passed away on June 3rd, 2016. The print by Neiman, one of the most acclaimed sports artists of the 20th century, features Ali and Frazier facing each other in profile. The portrait of Frazier is sharper, his features more defined than Ali’s. Unlike Ali, Frazier is wearing boxing gloves and looks ready to strike. Ali is painted in softer focus, gazing at his raised right fist. At 6’3” Ali towers over the 5’11” Frazier.
Attached to the painting is an envelope inscribed by Muhammad Ali. He signed his name and wrote “3 Time World Heavyweight Champion” and dated the inscription June 12, 1984. There are two stamps on the photograph, both bearing the image of Ali. This beautiful lithograph comes in a 33x33 inch framed display. This item comes with a PSA/DNA LOA (AB11570).